STM/AFM studies of the evolution of morphology of electroplated Ni/W alloys

The surface morphology evolution of Ni/W alloys was studied, as a function of the alloy composition. Using the modified plating baths developed in our laboratory recently, electroplated Ni/W alloys with different W content, in the range of 7–67 atom percent (a/o), can be obtained. This was found to lead to different structures, ranging from polycrystalline fcc-Ni type structure to amorphous, followed by orthorhombic with increasing W content in the alloy. Powder XRD was studied to determine the crystal structures. Ex situ STM, AFM and SEM were used to study in detail the surface morphologies of the different alloys, and their evolution with increasing W content.

The important findings are that a mixture of two crystalline forms can give rise to an amorphous structure. Hillocks that are usually a characteristic of epitaxial growth can also exist in the amorphous alloys. Oriented scratches caused by stress can also be formed.

Up to 20 a/o of W is deposited in the alloys in crystalline form, with the fcc-Ni type structure. Between 20 and about 40 a/o an amorphous structure is observed, and above that an orthorhombic crystal structure is seen, which is characteristic of the NiW binary alloy. Careful choice of the composition of the plating bath allowed us to deposit an alloy containing 67 a/o W, which corresponds to the composition NiW₂.     

Continuum Approaches in the Mechanics of Curved Composites and Associated Problems for Structural Members

A review is made of studies on the mechanics of curved composites carried out using continuum approaches. The relevant theory, problem formulations, and solution methods are considered and some typical results on the influence of structural distortion on the mechanical behavior of composites are analyzed. Subjects for near-term studies are proposed     

Observation of hydrogen induced intermediate borides in PrFeB based alloys by Mössbauer effect spectroscopy

In the present work, a quantitative analysis of the phase compositions by Mössbauer effect spectroscopy of solid and conventional hydrogen disproportionated Pr_13.7Fe_80.3B_6.0 and Pr_13.7Fe_63.5Co_16.7Zr_0.1B_6.0 alloys was carried out. Significant amounts of intermediate borides t-Fe₃B and Pr(Fe, Co)₁₂B₆ were detected after solid hydrogen disproportionation treatment in Pr_13.7Fe_80.3B_6.0 and Pr_13.7Fe_63.5Co_16.7Zr_0.1B_6.0 alloys, respectively. After conventional hydrogenation–disproportionation–desorption–recombination treatment these phases were not detected and in no case residual Pr₂Fe₁₄B-phase was found. It was observed that the amount of intermediate borides after disproportionation can be correlated with the degree of texture after recombination at various temperatures.     

Stationary Mode and Binomial Moments for Networks of the Type [SM|GI|∞] r

By using methods of the Markov renewal theory, we find conditions for the existence of a stationary mode for multichannel networks with semi-Markov input stream. As a tool of stationary distribution analysis, we introduce multivariate binomial moments and investigate their asymptotic properties. For a multichannel queuing system with periodic input stream, we construct the generating function of the stationary distribution in explicit form in terms of the parameters of the system under consideration.     

On the Behavior of Some Second Order Nonlinear Differential Equations

Qualitative behavior of second order nonlinear differential equations of type y″+p(t)y+q(t)f(y)=0, is studied. It includes properties such as positivity, number of zeros, oscillating nature, boundedness and monotonicity of the solutions.     

Relativistic quantum cryptography on “Arrested” photons

A new relativistic quantum cryptosystem is proposed in which the information is carried by the extended single-photon states with orthogonal polarizations and effective length exceeding the communication channel length. The light “arrest” effect is used as a procedure for the detection and preparation of extended states. The cryptosystem is secure against any eavesdropping attempts, because its states are quantized and the propagation velocity is limited. In this scheme, the preparation and detection procedures are local in space but require a finite time, depending on the extension of the states. The preparation for detecting at the receiver end begins before the state left the source at the input end.     

New interpretations of XPS spectra of nickel metal and oxides

A current interpretation of XPS spectra of Ni metal assumes that the main 6 eV satellite is due to a two hole c3d⁹4s² (c is a core hole) final state effect. We report REELS observation in AES at low voltages of losses (plasmons and inter-band transitions) corresponding to the satellite structures in Ni metal 2p spectra. The satellite near 6 eV is attributed to a predominant surface plasmon loss. A current interpretation of Ni 2p spectra of oxides and other compounds is based on charge transfer assignments of the main peak at 854.6 eV and the broad satellite centred at around 861 eV to the cd⁹L and the unscreened cd⁸ final-state configurations, respectively (L is a ligand hole). Multiplet splittings have been shown to be necessary for assignment of Fe 2p and Cr 2p spectral profiles and chemical states. The assignments of Ni 2p states are re-examined with intra-atomic multiplet envelopes applied to Ni(OH)₂, NiOOH and NiO spectra. It is shown that the free ion multiplet envelopes for Ni²⁺ and Ni³⁺ simulate the main line and satellite structures for Ni(OH)₂ and NiOOH. Fitting the NiO Ni 2p spectral profile is not as straightforward as the hydroxide and oxyhydroxide. It may involve contributions from inter-atomic, non-local electronic coupling and screening effects with multiplet structures significantly different from the free ions as found for MnO. A scheme for fitting these spectra using multiplet envelopes is proposed.     

On boundary integral equations in electroelasticity

A class of plane electroelasticity problems of the steady vibrations of bodies with a smooth boundary is studied. A system of boundary integral equations for the components of the displacement vector and the potential is formulated on the basis of the fundamental solution constructed and its analysis.